Singletary makes it official

Niners coach Mike Singletary made official today news that was leaked one day earlier than he wanted — Troy Smith has replaced Alex Smith as the starting quarterback.

Again.

Two weeks after Singletary told the team and media Troy Smith didn’t give them the best chance to win because he didn’t know enough of the playbook, and they needed every play at their disposal with the season at stake in an elimination game against Seattle.

And the season is still at stake with a new elimination game again in St. Louis. And Troy Smith still does not know enough of the playbook.

So, as Alex Smith would say, what’s changed?

And, if it doesn’t work, then what?

That second question is the real one to ask. Here’s why.

Going back to Alex Smith in a pinch just became a ridiculously difficult option. He just got benched for losing a game the 49ers were not going to win either way. He’s not the one who missed a block on a failed 4th-and-inches call. He’s not the one who called for a run up the middle in that situation. He’s not even the one who got beat by Vincent Jackson in three man-to-man matchups. Benching him for losing to San Diego made as much sense as benching Troy for losing to Green Bay … as if the other quarterback would have made any difference.

But, by making him the only player benched this week, Singletary is telling the team Alex Smith is to blame, whether he says those words or not. And, when he benched Troy Smith two weeks earlier, he was saying the same thing — that a change at quarterback would turn things around as the other 21 starters kept their jobs.

By making a second change in three weeks, Singletary is telling everyone he really doesn’t know which of the two quarterbacks is really the right guy, or he would have stuck with him all along.

If Troy Smith struggles against the Rams — and he’s struggled every game since beating them in a pocket-breaking, over-the-to-throwing way — Singletary will consider an in-game quarterback change to spark the offense.

Only, Alex Smith probably isn’t much of a spark-type player in whatever current mental state he’s in after yet another slapdown from his coach. Yes, he did well off the bench against Houston last year, but that wasn’t mere days after getting benched.

Troy Smith, now he’s sparky. Much like Bruce Gradkowski is in Oakland. He may not do any better, but he’ll inspire some fire. His best work is always in the second half, when the coaching staff tends to go away from the gameplan and let him just make plays as they come.

Isn’t that why Troy Smith is starting again in the first place? To play the hero as he did earlier this year? But if he can’t, sending Alex Smith in with a deficit could be akin to waving a white flag to a 49ers offense that had just been told he didn’t give them the best chance to beat the Rams.

Here’s the other problem if Troy Smith has problems and the 49ers fall behind. If there’s an in-game change because the 49ers are falling far behind, that means they need to throw their way back into the game, and fast.

Alex Smith is a short-game quarterback. He drives with checkdowns and screens and moving of the chains. Troy Smith is the one more apt to throw deep balls and take risks and pull off desperation plays when everything’s going wrong.

When Alex Smith is forced to air it out, he gets his numbers but the 49ers almost always lose. He never won with 250 passing yards until two weeks ago.

And after this week’s benching, it’s very likely Alex Smith will never win in a 49ers uniform again — which makes these final two games not much different than the rest of his six-year career. Who is to fully blame for that? Now, there’s a blog argument with no bottom to its hole.